Spurs' Home Turmoil Continues in Frank's Worst Setback
In what manager Thomas Frank will regard as the most damaging result of a terrible seven-day period, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a humiliating 2-1 home defeat to Fulham. This loss represents another failure in front of their own supporters against opposition they would expect to beat, dropping more crucial Premier League points in the process. Remarkably, this setback at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium feels even worse than the four-goal thrashing at Arsenal earlier in the week.
Nightmare Start Sees Spurs Shellshocked
The match began in disastrous fashion for the home side, who found themselves two goals down within just six minutes. Fulham's opener came with a heavy slice of fortune when Kenny Tete's effort from the edge of the box took a huge deflection off Destiny Udogie, completely wrong-footing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. If the Italian was helpless for the first goal, he was entirely culpable for the second. Racing from his goal to challenge Raul Jimenez, Vicario ended up in a left-back position where his attempted pass was scuffed straight to Fulham teenager Josh King. The quick-thinking youngster found Harry Wilson, who curled the ball into the unguarded net with sweet precision.
The Tottenham players looked utterly shellshocked by this catastrophic start. In the stands, the mood shifted uneasily as discontent rumbled down from the South Stand. Ironic cheers followed Vicario every time he subsequently handled the ball safely.
Formation Fails as Chukwueze Torments Porro
With confidence shattered, the home crowd restless, and captain Cristian Romero serving a one-match ban for accumulating five yellow cards, Frank's team creaked alarmingly. The 4-4-2 formation with wide midfielders tucking in—positively received during Wednesday's 5-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain—completely failed to function against Fulham. Samuel Chukwueze, making his first Premier League start after an impressive substitute appearance against Sunderland, tormented Pedro Porro throughout the first half. The on-loan AC Milan winger hit the post with one curling effort and was only denied a certain goal by Micky van de Ven's sensational sliding recovery tackle after dancing around Vicario.
Van de Ven, wearing the armband in Romero's absence, frequently appeared to be single-handedly keeping the visitors at bay with crucial interventions, including another vital header to beat Jimenez to a cross.
Late Rally Fails to Mask Deepening Problems
Booed off at half-time, Frank resisted making immediate changes, and his team returned with greater urgency after the break. They found a quicker tempo, advanced further up the pitch, and began to create opportunities. Randal Kolo Muani, who has improved Tottenham's goal threat as he regains sharpness, went close with a header before Mohamed Kudus pulled one back with a ferocious strike from Lucas Bergvall's pass. Frank had three substitutions ready when the goal went in and immediately threw them on, seizing momentum until Fulham manager Marco Silva responded with his own changes to restore control and secure victory.
This result means Tottenham have won just three Premier League home games in the first eleven months of 2025. Next weekend brings another opportunity against Brentford, the club Frank left to join Spurs, but first they must travel to Newcastle. Serious doubts will continue to swirl around the Danish manager after this latest damaging setback.
